Feeding mechanism.



PATENTED MAR. 7, 1905.

C. J. BELLAMY.

FEEDING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 10, 1904.

FIEL 2 NITED STATES- Patented March 7, 1905.

PATENT Genres.

FEEDING MECHANISM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 784,295, dated March'7, 1905. Original application filed December 15, 1903, Serial No.185,294. Divided and this application filed March 10, 1904. Serial No.197,417.

T0 (071/ Iv/1.07711 it may concern:

Be it known that I, OnARLEs J. BELLAMY, a citizen of the United Statesof America, residing at Springfield, in the county of Hampden andCommonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful FeedingMechanism, (the same being a divisional part of an application forUnited States Letters Patent'filed by me December 15, 1903, and seriallynumbered 185,294,) of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in mechanism adapted to handle suchfabric as paper from a roll for use with handwritingboards,type-writers, &c.; and it consists, essentially, of a certain peculiartension appliance, as hereinafter set forth; and the object of myinvention is to provide a tension appliance for a fabric-roll and thefabric itself after it leaves the roll which is simple in constructionand operation, practicable, and efficient. One particular advantage ofthis appliance resides in the fact that the action of the same is quitepositive, since the tension member is fixedly journaled, while inoperation at least, and the fabric-roll is journaled in slots and keptin frictional contact with said tension member regardless of the size ofsaid roll, so there is no chance for lost motion. 1 attain this objectand secure this advantage by the means illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side view of my invention, showing itapplied to a certain handwritingboard; Fig. 2, a central longitudinalvertical section through the same, .and Fig. 3 a sectional view showingachange in arrangement of some of the relative parts seen in the twopreceding views.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout theseveral views.

A single-strip roll of paper is described as being used in connectionwith this appliance; but it is to be understood that when a duplicate ofthe written matter is required adoublestrip roll may be employed; also,that the mechanism is useful for handling other fabrics besides paperand in other connections as well as with a handwriting-board or otherwriting device or machine. Furthermore, the

supply-roll and tension member may be supported at some convenient placeremote from the frame of the device which is making use of the fabricfrom the roll instead of being mounted directly thereon or therein,ifdesired. The novel features of the handwriting-board made use ofmerely for the purpose of illustrating a practical application of thepresent invention form no part of said invention, but constitute thesubject-matter of the application of which this is a division.

Proceeding now to briefly describe the aforesaid handwriting-board,attention is called first to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, in which itwill be observed that a suitable frame consisting of side pieces 1,connected by a floor 2 and a cross-piece 3, and of a hand-rest 4 isprovided. A part of the hand-rest4 consists of a lid 4, hinged at 5 tothe fixed portion of said rest. A lug 6 on the inside face of each sidepiece 1 receives the rear end of the lid 4 when closed. Upon opening thelid 4 access is had to the interior front portion of the device, therebyenabling the paper to be readily adjusted on the platen 7 or said platento be removed. The roller or platen 7 in the present instance consistsof an eight-sided block having a shaft 8 journaled in the bottom of aslot 9 in each side piece 1, pins 10 and eyes 11 being employed to holdsaid shaft in place. \Vhichever side of the platen 7 happens to be inapproximately the same plane with the hand-rest becomes for the timebeing the real Writing-bed. The platen 7 is rotated by a knob on one endof the shaft 8, such knob being represented by the dotted lines 12 inFig. 2. The pins 10 are withdrawn from the eyes 11 and the lid 4 openedwhen it is desired to remove the platen. Either a long roller or twoshort marginal rollers 13 are carried by a shaft 14, journaled in slots15 in arms 1, extending upward from the side pieces 1 and connected by across-bar l". The rollers 13 are pressed against the platen by means ofsprings 16 in the slots 15, such springs being interposed between bloeks17 and 18, slidingly mounted in the arms 1. The blocks 17 bear directlyupon the shaft 14, while the blocks 18 are forced by the springs 16against the ends of ad justing-screws'lQ, threaded through openings inthe upper ends of said arms. A long roller has its shaft 21 journaled inslots 22 in the side pieces 1, and springs 23 in said slots force saidroller against the platen. The springs 23 are introduced between blocks24 and the bases of the slots 22, said blocks being slidingl y mountedin said slots and bearing tendency of such roll-holder at all times.

against the shaft 2]..

A description of the novel features of the present invention as embodiedin the handwriting-board hereinbefore set forth will next be given.

Oblique slots 25 are provided in the side pieces 1 for the trunnions orshaft 26 of a paper-supply roll 27, and such slots are narrowed at theirlower terminals, as shown at 25, to afford bearings for the trunnions orshaft 28 of a tension member 29, which may be either a rod or a roller.The roll 27 is drawn into contact with the tension member 29, which inthis case is a roller, and so remains as said roll decreases in size bythe unwinding of the paper 30 through the medium of a spring 31,extending between each outer end of the shaft 26 and a pin 32,projecting from the outer face of the corresponding side piece 1. Byreleasing the shaft 26 from the aforesaid springs said shaft, with thepaper thereon, if any, may be readily removed from the slots 25, alsothe shaft 28, with its roller 29, as will be readily seen. It will not,however, generally be necessary to remove the roller 29 from its normalposition unless it is required to enlarge the space back of the roller20, so as to enable the operator to more readily insert the end of thestrip or web 30 from the roll 27 into the bite of said roller 20 and theplaten. It is to be understood that the tension member 29 is sopositioned as to divert the course of the web 30 on its way from theroll 27 to the platen. The tension member may or may not revolve. Y

Of course weights might be substituted for the springs 31 or gravitydepended on to retain the supply-roll in constant contact with thetension member, in which last event the roll holder or shaft 26 must beheavy enough and the bearings for the same steep enough to insure asufiiciently-forceful downward It maybe noted, too, in passing that anysuitable roll-holder may be employed. I do not herein seek to cover aresistance device operating only during the increase of size of afabric-roll if such should take place, but wish to include as part of myinvention a tension device operating during both an increase and adecrease of the size of said fabric-roll.

In operation the web 30 after passing upward between the roller 29 andthe roll 27 and partly around the former extends forward between theplaten and the roller 20, thence around the front of said platen, andfinally rearward between the platen and the marginal rollers 13. Thehand of the operator rests upon the parts 4: and 4*; but the writing isdone on the adjacent exposed side of the platen. direction of the arrowin Fig. 2 from time to time, as required, to bring other sides intoservice and fresh portions of the paper beneath the pen or pencil of theoperator. The rollers 13 and 20 assist in actuating the paper andcontrolling the platen. The rollers 13 also obviate blotting the writtenmatter when ink is used. During the operation of the mechanism theroller 29 is to all intents and purposes fixedly journalcd that is tosay, it does not slide in its bearings. Hence the point where the paperleaves said roller always occupies the same relative position to thebite of the platen and roller 20, with the exception of whatever slightvariation there may be owing to the irregular outline of the platen andconsequent up-and-down movement of the roller 20. The springs 31 providethe necessary tension for the roll 27 and, with the roller 29, affordthe desired degree of tension for the web 30.

The modified arrangement shown in Fig. 3 consists simply in changing thepositions of the slots 25, so that the roll 27 and the member 29 can belocated in front of the platen instead of behind it. Each pin 32 for oneof the springs 31 in this case is placed higher than before and inadvance of its former position. The slot 25 in each side piece 1 turnsdownward at its forward end and opens through the bottom of said sidepiece, as shown at 25 ,,t0 provide convenient means for removing andreplacing the shaft 26, an opening 2 being provided in the floor 2 forthe passage of the supply-roll. The crosspiece 3 and the roller 20, withits appurtenances, are omitted from the modified construction, althoughthe roller might be retained, if desired; otherwise the parts are thesame as has already been fully explained. The web 30 after leaving theroll 27 and passing partly around the tension-roller 29 extends upwardand rearward directly onto that side of the platen 7 which is serving asthe actual writing-bed, and then its course is the same as before, as isthe operation of so much of the mechanism as is here retained.

Various other modifications in arrangement will readily occur to oneskilled in the art, modifications which do not depart from the nature ofmy invention.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

l. In feeding mechanism, the combination with fabric-actuatingrollers,of a tension member, and a rotary fabric-supply-roll holdermounted in movable bearings and it or the roll thereon inresiliently-frictional contact with said tension member, the line ofsuch contact marking the line from which the fabric separates from itsroll in process of feeding, the tension member being fixedly mount- Saidplaten is rotated in the.

ed and arranged to divert the fabric as drawn from the roll partiallyaround said tension member. V

2. In feeding mechanism, the combination with a suitable frame andfabric-actuating rollers jonrnaled therein or thereon, of a tensionmember, and a fabric-supply-roll holder mounted in movable bearings insaid frame and it or the roll thereon in resiliently-frictional contactwith said tension member, the line of contact marking the line fromwhich the fabric separates from its roll in process of feeding, thetension member being fixedly

